Narrator's POV

"Mm..." Tony groaned as his body woke itself up....again. "Ah." He opened his eyes, looking down at his chest.

Stephen was not there.

Had he just imagined that?

He looked around the room. Stephen was no where to be found.

There wasn't any music coming from the bathroom either.

Where was Stephen?

>click<

"Hm?" Tony looked over at the door.

"Thanks cloak." Stephen said as he came in with two plates of food in his hands. He noticed Tony was already up. "Oh, you're awake."

"Yeah..." Tony squinted at him, looking him up and down. He was tired.

"I got you some breakfast." Stephen said, coming up to the bed with the two plates. He put one on Tony's lap and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Thanks." Tony said, looking down at the food. He looked back up at Stephen, who was happily chewing some food as he looked toward the glass sliding doors at the ocean. "Hey Stephen." Tony said.

"Mm." Stephen looked back at him.

"Last night..." Tony said. "Did we-"

"I knew I was forgetting something." Stephen said. "Did you want some juice with your breakfast?" He asked, opening a portal to the juice dispenser in the breakfast lobby.

"Oh. Coffee will be fine." Tony said, letting his head drop.

Maybe it was just a dream.

Tony picked his head up again. "Hey, by the way..."

Stephen listened.

"You remember when I asked you if you could teach me some magic when we were kids?" Tony asked.

"Oh yes." Stephen said, coming back with a glass of orange juice and a coffee.

"Maybe you could now?" Tony asked.

"My own apprentice?" Stephen asked himself. "Sounds fun." He smiled. "I can start you with some easy spells."

"Really?" Tony's face lit up.

"Oh yes." Stephen said. "Anyone who is interested in the mystic arts deserves a chance to get to know them."

"Great." Tony said. "When do we get started?"

///0///0

"Okay, then you place your arm like this." Stephen put his arm out holding his two middle fingers in. He stood behind Tony, guiding him.

"Okay..." Tony said, doing as Stephen said. "And now what? Do I say "Wingardium Leviosa"?" Tony laughed.

Stephen rolled his eyes playfully. "You don't say anything, you just think it." Stephen said.

"So if I think of a pile of money, I'll get it?" Tony asked.

"That's not how it works." Stephen said. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. "You have to clear your mind, relax." He said, stepping a little closer to Tony. "Feel it deep inside you."

Tony watched Stephen, hearing his steady breathing, almost feeling his heartbeat against his back.

"Tony." Stephen said. Although his eyes were not opened, he could tell Tony wasn't doing as directed.

"Oh, right." Tony said, closing his eyes. "Clear my mind."

"Concentrate." Stephen said. "And then..." Stephen opened his eyes. "...let it go."

Yellow shields appeared around his wrists. A yellow beam shot out of his palm accompanied by golden glowing lines.

Tony opened his eyes, admiring Stephen. "Whoa." He said.

Stephen stopped his magic. "Now you try."

"Okay." Tony said, closing his eyes, breathing in and concentrating. "Magic." He opened his eyes.

Sparks of yellow glitched at his palm.

"Aww." Tony sighed.

"Hey, not bad for a first timer." Stephen said. "I wasn't able to do that the first time."

"Really?" Tony asked, turning around to face Stephen.

"Yeah." Stephen said, looking at Tony.

"I did manage to summon this pretty one." Tony said, opening his left hand and exposing a small lavender conch.

Stephen's eyes twinkled. "Where did you find it?" He asked.

"Not far from here. I picked it up on our way." Tony said. He looked up at Stephen, his eyes locking with his accidentally.

The two were inches apart.

"T-Thank you. That's very kind..." Stephen's cheeks flushed. "Sorry." Stephen looked away, breaking the eye contact.

"No, no. It's okay." Tony said, reaching for Stephen's cheek. "You had me-ah!" He yelped when he tripped over his feet, taking Stephen down with him. "Argh." He groaned.

"Ow." Stephen said.

"Ah." Tony gasped. "Stephen are you..." He noticed he had Stephen pinned on the white sand.

Stephen's face was glowing red, flustered.

"...okay?" Tony said, staring into Stephen's eyes.

"Tony..." Stephen said.

"Yes?" Tony answered.

His heart felt like it was in his throat. His stomach was bursting with butterflies.

Stephen was very charming, pulling Tony into him.

"I-"

~ring~

"Hm?" Tony broke out of Stephen's charming gravitational pull.

"Oh, um..." Stephen looked away from Tony. "That's mine."

"Are you gonna get that?" Tony asked.

"I should...probably get that." Stephen said, reaching for his pocket.

"Okay. Um..." Tony carefully got off Stephen.

Stephen looked down at his phone screen.

Christine

He answered the phone. "Christine. Hi, how a-" Stephen stopped when Christine began to talk. "Are you sure?" Stephen asked.

Christine spoke to him.

From what Tony could hear, things didn't sound very good.

"I'll be right there." Stephen said, hanging up and opening a portal. 

"Stephen, is everything okay?" Tony asked.

Stephen looked at him.

Fear reflecting off his eyes.

///0///0

"Right through there." Christine said, pointing down a hall. "Room 362."

"Thank you." Stephen said, his voice shaky.

"Hey." Christine put a hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay." She said.

Stephen nodded.

Christine gave him a small smile before leaving him.

Tony stood by Stephen's side.

Christine gave him a small nod before walking away.

Stephen started making his way down the hall with Tony.

"Stephen." Tony said.

Stephen only kept walking.

"Stephen, what's going on?" Tony asked.

They stopped in front of a door.

362

Stephen reached for the doorknob, his hands shaking more than before. "Just wait here." He said.

Tony nodded, backing off a little.

Stephen opened the door slowly, peeking in. "Hello? Madeline?"

"Dr. Pickles..." The weakened voice of a girl came into Stephen's ears.

Stephen laid eyes on the seven year old that laid in the bed.

She had tubes and IV lines hooked on her. Her skin was pale, and there were dark circles under her now dull brown eyes. Her hair was all gone. She was in a lot of pain, but she still managed to put a smile on her face. The heart monitor beeped weakly. Her ventilator rose and fell very slowly.

Olive sat by her side, trying hard to hold back tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey, darling." Stephen said softly. "How're you feeling?" He asked her, coming into the room. He left a crack in the door.

"Good." She said out of habit even though she wasn't feeling a single ounce of good in her body. "How was your trip to the beach?" He asked.

Stephen made his way to her bedside. "Oh, it was fun." He said.

"Did you see any dolphins there?" She asked.

"Plenty." Stephen smiled at her.

Olive smiled at them.

"You'll never guess what I got for you." Stephen said. He pulled out the small conch Tony had given him.

"No way." She said, sitting up. "Ah!" He gasped.

"Oh, be careful sweetie." Olive said.

"It's okay." Stephen said, slowly and very carefully pushing her back down on the bed. "Here." He handed it to her.

Madeline looked at the shell. "It's very pretty." She looked up at Stephen. "Thank you."

Tony peeked in the room through a small crack in the door. What his eyes saw broke his heart.

///0///0

"Sorry you had to see that." Stephen said with his legs in the pool of their resort back in Hawaii.

The sky was dark already, stars shone brightly above them along with the lights in the pool.

Tony sat next to him. "That was Madeline?"

"Yes."

"How old is she?" Tony asked.

"She's seven." Stephen answered.

"How long have you known her?"

"Since she was diagnosed." Stephen said.

"She called you Dr. Pickles." Tony said. "Why?"

"It's a joke." Stephen said, smiling down at the water. "You wouldn't understand."

Tony nodded.

It was quiet for a few moments.

"And how bad is it?" Tony asked.

"Stage four." Stephen said. "She has leukemia."

Tony didn't know what to say.

Stephen scoffed. "It's funny. She still manages to smile through the pain her body is going through. She's dying, but she still smiles brightly, and her eyes have so much hope in them. I don't know how she does it. I just..." Stephen sighed.

Tony looked down at the water in the pool. He noticed small ripples coming from beside him. He looked back at Stephen.

Tears flowed down his face, falling into the pool, disturbing the stillness of the water.

Stephen looked up.

Tony looked away.

"Tony..." Stephen said.

Tony turned to him.

He looked broken. He had never seen Stephen like this.

"Come here." Tony said, opening his arms for Stephen.

Stephen cried in his arms, letting tears flow from his eyes. He let himself sink into Tony.

"I know... I know..." Tony said, placing a hand behind Stephen's head and pulling him closer. He rubbed his back gently. "It's okay. It'll be okay." He whispered softly.